Hours later, Miyu was face down on the table, crying and complaining in a language no one understood. The only thing that could be made out in her made-up language was Nova's name repeated over and over.
The people around them looked uncomfortable, and the handsome waiter watched them from the bar with a friendly smile, a vein throbbing in his forehead.
Elara patted her back sympathetically. Nova rubbed his forehead in exasperation. He crossed his arms, wondering what to do.
'If only I could read her mind, everything would be easier.'
It was no surprise that, at this point, all three of them were drunk, but Miyu was in a completely decadent state, unlike Elara, who had a slight blush under her eyes.
With Nova, it was a different story. He was struggling to stay focused on his surroundings.
'But whatever. Tomorrow we'll all suffer equally.'
It was a relief to know that he wouldn't be the only one paying the price for drinking.
Elara stood up. She looked at Nova with confusion and asked:
"What do we do, Nova? Should I take her to my place?"
"No. Your place is farther away than mine," he declined, finishing his last drink. "I'll take her with me."
"I understand. It's not the first time this has happened, so I trust you to take care of her. I'll go wait for my ride. See you later."
"Sure. Bye."
Elara walked away calmly. It seemed as if this woman was made of iron, as she didn't stagger or slur her words. Alcohol didn't seem to affect her.
There was no doubt—she was the team's tank.
'And you, on the other hand...'
Nova had a big problem here. This girl is still crying.
'It's always the same with you. I shouldn't be surprised anymore.'
Before he could keep complaining, he scooped Miyu up with surgical precision and carried her to the exit. She was quite light, to tell the truth. The problem was that she started laughing out of nowhere.
Nova just didn't understand why.
"Where are we going, Nova?" she asked.
Even the way she spoke was a complete mess. Miyu had always been very sensitive to alcohol, so these kinds of situations always happened when she drank.
Passing through the door, Nova looked at the man with the horns to let him know that he was just taking his friend home. The man nodded and allowed them to leave.
"I'm taking you home."
Miyu clung to Nova's chest and spoke into her ear.
"Oh... Home? Are you taking me to your house?"
Nova sighed, tilting his head slightly so he wouldn't feel her warm breath.
"If you want, I'll take you to yours. I don't have a problem with that."
She dug her claws into his shoulders. Nova winced in pain as Miyu said:
"No! I want to go with you! I want to be with you!"
"Okay, okay. Don't yell. And get your claws off me, they're too sharp!"
Miyu followed Nova's order, humming happily, and then gave him a comfortable hug from behind.
She was too happy for some reason, even though she had been crying like a little girl before.
"I want to be with you forever!"
"I know. I know. I'll stay with you."
Nova grimaced uncomfortably and wearily. It was quite a challenge to carry this noisy girl, but he preferred to joke to himself.
'I should just dump you in a ditch.'
Leaving Lux Valley, he jumped onto the roof of the building in front and ran to jump between buildings.
That wasn't a good idea. Dizzy and tired, he could fall at any moment. However, he is already skilled at moving quickly across the rooftops of buildings.
He could easily traverse the city drunk without falling even once.
"Come on, little dragon! Go faster!" said Miyu, jumping on Nova's back.
"Relax a little or we'll both fall."
"I don't want to!"
'Huh... Someone help me. Please...'
Some time later, with luck, skill, and a lot more luck, they both arrived home in one piece.
This was Nova's house, a two-story house made of red bricks and wrapped in green vines that made it look like a house in the jungle. The property was enclosed by a black wire fence with a red brick and concrete base.
There was a path of round cobblestones leading to the front door from the outside gate.
'Finally, she fell asleep.'
This chaotic girl had finally tired herself out on the way home. Now she was asleep on Nova's back.
'I guess the end of the road is the most satisfying part of the journey.'
He opened the metal gate at the edge of the property and closed it with his heel.
Suddenly, there was a sharp bark. It was Poki, who had come out of its little tree house in the backyard just to greet its human friend, but it tilted its head in confusion when it saw Miyu too.
It immediately understood that this crazy girl was here and ran away to its little house.
'Relax, buddy. She's not going to kill you.'
Finally, he entered the house.
The interior was cozy and warm, very different from the cold of the street at midnight. There was a variety of furniture scattered around the area and a very nostalgic floral scent. But there were no paintings or photos hanging anywhere.
In fact, the house itself was a little lonely and gloomy despite feeling strangely cozy. Anyone would reach the same conclusion after seeing it once.
It's a house that lacks memories.
He carried Miyu to the bedroom—a room that only had a small bed, a wardrobe full of clothes, a desk with some books, and a lamp. There was also a tabletop communicator, which was the futuristic version of a desktop computer.
He easily laid Miyu down on the bed. He covered her with some warm blankets and left the room.
'I guess leaving her a glass of water would be a nice gesture,' he thought, walking toward the kitchen.
Everything was quite dark, but Nova could already find his way around this house, as he knew his own home very well.
'You should be grateful for how much I care about you, Miyu. You'll pay me back in cash next time.'
He reached the small kitchen and approached the refrigerator. As he was about to open the refrigerator, he sensed a presence behind him. He didn't startle or act scared.
He knew who it was, so he said:
"Did I wake you up? I'm sorry. I didn't think I'd be home so late."
He closed the refrigerator and looked at a woman standing next to him, who was looking at him with a somewhat complicated expression. She was tired and sleepy, but she also looked curious.
She was a thin woman in her mid-forties. Her hair was black, straight, and loose. Her skin was pale and white, quite similar to Nova's skin.
The tiredness in her black eyes was due to the late hour, but her complicatedly calm expression contrasted with that tiredness.
"I was waiting for you. Did you have fun?"
The woman smiled at Nova with beautiful kindness. Nova smiled slightly in response.
"Yes, Mom. I had a lot of fun."
After all, she was his mother.
She sighed with relief.
"I see. I'm glad. I see you brought Miyu with you."
"Oh. Yes. She's staying over tonight. She's very drunk and will surely wake up making a fuss tomorrow."
"Well. We already have an alarm set."
"Yes... You're right."
The woman gave Nova a gentle pat on the back.
"I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late, okay?"
"Sure. I'll sleep on the couch tonight."
The woman vanished into the darkness of the hallways, and Nova watched her with a faint smile. Then, out of nowhere, his face became completely expressionless. His eyes turned dull, and the atmosphere around him became dense and insipid.
The silence itself felt like it was screaming as the darkness of the scene embraced him tightly. However, Nova closed his eyes. When he opened them, his expression became serene again.
After putting down the glass of water, he returned to the first room of the house. He grabbed a blanket and lay down on the sofa.
'That was the end of the day.'
He closed his eyes, ready to sleep, but his communicator rang with a sudden message. He picked up the rectangular object in his hand and looked at the message.
He raised his eyebrows in surprise.
[
Faction Dimension
Emergency:
All available Empaths are requested to assemble at the address assigned on the map. A Category 5 Aberration has escaped from the Dimensional Portal area in the Tear district and is heading for the Nox district.
All possible support is needed.
]
'That's close to here... Well, how inconvenient of you, Aberration.'
Now he had to put his trench coat back on and go out and kick aberrant ass. Apparently, the night was far from over. And what's more surprising: Category 5! That's too dangerous to ignore.